About Edward Ketchum

Edward Ketchum or Catchum (b. 1590, d. June 08, 1655)Edward Ketchum or Catchum was born 1590 in Kent, England, and died June 08, 1655 in Fairfield Co., Colony Of Connecticut, Startford CT.. He married (1) Mary Hall on August 22, 1619 in Church of St. Andrew, Cambridge, England. He married (2) Sarah Salmon on Aft. 1640 in Suffolk County, L. I., NY.

Notes for Edward Ketchum or Catchum:

The earliest member known was EDWARD KATCHAM or Catcham, born ca. 1590 most likely in Kent near Chatham, England. He died June 8, 1655 in Stratford Plantation, Colony of Connecticut. He was known as a rogue or wonderer as he resided in many places. He is recorded as being in Cambridgeshire at the time of his marriage to Mary Hall. By her he had his first five children, four of which were born in England. Edward emigrated to America, to the then Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 with two sons. He married 2nd, in Suffolk County, L. I., NY ca. 1640, Sarah Salmon, born ca. 1615 in London and died post 1673. By her he had four children all born in the town of Hashamommock, Southold, Long Island. NY.

Edward Ketcham in England Edward Ketcham is first found in Cambridge, England from 1619 to 1628, where his marriage to Mary Hall on 22 Aug 1619 is recorded in the records of the Church of Saint Andrew the Great, as well as the birth of his children Mary (bapt. 7 May 1620), John (bapt. 8 Sep 1622), Hester (bapt. 10 Apr 1626), and Ann (bapt. 19 Oct 1628). No other records of Edward or other Ketchams are found in Cambridge.

Immigration to America. Edward Ketcham is next found in Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He may have arrived in 1630 on the Winthrop fleet or in 1633 on the Ipswich. By 1637 Edward was reportedly on the Board of Freemen, the town council of Ipswich.

Edward Ketcham's homestead in Ipswich. Ginger Stork reports that an early deed shows that Samuel Boreman purchased property from Edward Ketcham in 1640, and that Boreman sold to Francis Jordan.1 If so, Edward Ketcham's home in Ipswich is no longer standing.2 Jordan's lot is located on the corner of East Street and Brook Street.3 The house currently standing on the lot, however, is much later than the 1640s

His moves. Sometime after January 1640 Edward moved from Ipswich to Hashamommock, later Southold, Long Island, where in 1651 the first record of him is found. Sometime later Edward moved to Stratford, Connecticut

Edward Ketcham's will. Edward's will was made 8 June 1655 at Stratford, Fairfield Co., Connecticut. While damaged in places and missing sections which apparently contained the names of some of his children, it does list the following children: John, Mary, Hannah (an alternate spelling of "Anna"), and Hester. These four children are the same as those of the Edward Ketcham of Cambridge, England. Edward's estate was valued at 90 pounds, 11 shillings, 6 pence.

His children. James F. Morton, who wrote a genealogy column for the Boston Transcript under the penname Amiko, noted that there are almost as many versions of the family of Edward Ketcham as writers on the subject.5 Edward's four children whose baptismal records have been found in Cambridge, England (Mary, John, Hester, and Ann/Hannah) are certain. All four children were most likely with Edward's first wife, Mary Hall. The evidence indicates that Edward married a Sarah Salman of Southold, Long Island. The differences arise over as many as five purported children, Edward, Samuel, Sarah, Rebecca, and Joseph. Interestingly, Edward's will, deteriorated and with significant lacunae, contains only the names Mary, John, Hester, and Ann/Hannah. The names of the other children, most Ketcham genealogists assume, were to be found in the lacunae. The writers do not address the probability that Edward's will deteriorated in such a way that only the names of the children that are known from other sources remained. At this point, I believe Herbert Furman Seversmith is correct that Edward had no sons Edward or Samuel.6 The events attributed to Edward's purported sons Edward and Samuel are better attributed to Edward's grandsons of the same names, sons of Edward's son John.7 One wonders about the remaining three children attributed to Edward, Sarah, Rebecca, and Joseph. Thus, Edward's children were as follows (asterisks indicate the children known from the Cambridge baptismal records and Edward's will):

Mary (b. 1620)

John (b. 1622)

Hester (b. 1626)

Ann (Hannah) (b. 1628)

Sarah (b. c. 1639)

Rebecca (b. c. 1645)

Joseph (b. 1650)

Edward Ketcham's ancestry. Edward Ketcham's ancestry has not been established. Among the possibilities, two of the more likely are reported in Ginger Stork's The Known Descendants of Edward Ketcham/Catchum/Cetcham - Puritan (Davison, MI: G.K. Stork, 1995), v.

(1) James Chetham of Cromsall, County Lancashire, England. The Visitation of Suffolke (England), by William Hervey, contains the pedigree of a James Chetham (the spelling "Cheetham/Chetham" was used for Edward in Cambridge in the 1620s). In 1635 James Chetham, then about 69 years old, recalled his personal pedigree. His children: Edward, George, Henrie, Edmund, James, Humfrey, Edmund, Jane, and Isabell. Significantly, a Henry Ketcham appears in Ipswich in 1635, in addition to Edward (see below).

(2) Sir Robert Kytchen, Mayor of Bristol. An unsigned manuscipt reportedly located in the New York City Library states: "Edward Ketcham was the son or grandson of Sir Robert, Alderman of Bristol, England who died 19 June 1594", and, a few pages later, "Edward son of Abel and grandson of Sir Robert, Mayor of Bristol. In the days of Sir Robert and his father the name was given as Kytchen." The Gloucester Archaeology Society has stated that the name "Ketcham" was given in later periods as "Kitchin" or "Kytchin." Richard Kitchin and son Robert were residents of Temple, Bristol County, England, in 1585, and Robert's effigy lies in St Stephen Church in Temple.

Obviously, James Chetham's children fit with the "mysterious" Henry Ketcham found in Ipswich. Without any further information, the unsigned manuscript in the New York City Library appears much less probable. That it was even included as a possibility is a result of the tendency to claim noble or royal background, if only a city mayor here. As Seversmith noted regarding the purported ancestor "Sir Rowland Ketcham, Knight of Wales," Aut Caesar, aut nihil!.

In sum, Edward Ketcham's ancestry remains unproven, but further work should be done in investigating James Chetham of Cromsall, County Lancashire, England.

Edward Ketcham: The Progenitor of all Ketchams? (Herein also of Henry Ketcham.) It is probable that Edward Ketcham is the progenitor of all Ketchams in America (with the exception of rumors of a native American Ketcham line).

While likely, it is only probable because two caveats have been noted: the mysterious Henry Ketcham and the "Scottish Ketchams."

A Henry Ketcham is found in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1638. (Savage 1990, vol. 3, p. 14.) According to the published genealogies, we know nothing further of Henry Ketcham or his descendants (are there any out there?). While the presence of Henry Ketcham is troubling for a definitive answer to the question, Henry Ketcham is almost certainly related to Edward Ketcham. If Henry is not Edward's son, they are likely brothers (it is highly unlikely that two unrelated Ketchams would be found in Ipswich together in 1635). If that is the case, the progenitor of all Ketchams (assuming Henry's descendants are in fact among us), is Edward's and Henry's father -- an as yet unnamed "Ketcham" who is the progenitor of us all!

Some of the Ketcham genealogies also allege the existence of Scottish "Ketchams," a Scottish clan whose name (in Gaelic) is spelled differently than "Ketcham" but which sounds similar. None of the books give any further information, or the source of this story.

Without further evidence that Henry Ketcham left descendants and is not Edward's son, we may conclude that Edward Ketcham is in fact the father of us all. If not Edward, the progenitor of all Ketchams would be Edward's father.

Bibliography and further reading. The single best (and only?) published work on Edward Ketcham, other than those in the family genealogies, is John Insley Coddington's "Edward Ketcham of Cambridge, Co. Cambridge, and Elsewhere in England, Later of Ipswich, Mass., Southold, L.I., and Stratford, Conn.," The American Genealogist 30, no. 1 (January 1954), 2-6. Of the family genealogies, the most complete is Ginger (Ketchum) Stork's The Known Descendants of Edward Ketcham/Catchum/Cetcham - Puritan (Davison, Mich.: G. K. Stork, 1995). Similar material can be found in the earlier Ketcham Kables.

Edward Ketcham is mentioned in James Savage's A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965-1990).

A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England, Before 1692 Volume #3 Kendall - Kidd

By James Savage Special thanks to Robert Kraft and his assistant, Benjamin Dunning for scanning this book and to Warren Wetmore for perfecting the text and providing technical help in presenting this work for researchers to enjoy.

KETCHAM, EDWARD, Ipswich 1635, freem. 9 Mar. 1637, may reasona. be thot. progenit. of all of the name, in our country and therefore I regret the more that we are ign. of the circumstances of his migrat. and subseq. resid. By conject. it seems to me, that EDWARD of Stratford, wh. d. bef. 1678, was his s. whose d. Rebecca m. 14 Feb. 1678, Thomas Taylor of Norwalk. An Edward E. m. Mary, d. of Richard Harcutt, but prob. he was of L. I. yet may have been the Stratford man, wh. in his will of June 1655 names three ds. Mary, Hannah, and Esther. HENRY, Ipswich 1638, perhaps s. of the preced. JOHN, Ipswich 1648, prob. s. of Edward, rem. to that pt. of L. I. call. Setauket, now Brookhaven, constable, stood up for the jurisdict. of Conn. was honor. 1662, with a commiss. to make his neighb. swear, and rep. 1664. In 1668 he rem. to Newtown, there was a man of influence to his d. 1697. Riker, 89. JOSEPH, Norwalk 1672, possib. s. of the preced. or gr.s. of Edward, m. 3 Apr. 1679, Mercy, d. of deac. Henry Lindall of New Haven, had Nathaniel, b. 23 Jan. 1680; and Sarah, 19 Feb. 1672; was in town serv. 1701. SAMUEL, Newtown, L. I. 1655, prob. br. of John, was of Setauket, freem. of Conn. 1664, and with Edward, wh. may, also, have been br. at Huntington, 1672.

In June 1637, 56 men of Ipswich signed a petition requesting that the younger John Winthrop be allowed to remain in Ipswich instead of being sent to govern Castle Island in Boston harbor. Edward Ketcham signed the petition (spelling his name as "Katcham"). A photograph of the petition and Edward Ketcham's signature may be found in Thomas F. Waters, Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Ipswich, Mass.: Ipswich Historical Society, 1901). Edward's signature is on the second page of the petition (be prepared to hunt!).

The primary source for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop's journal, has recently been reprinted in an excellent edition by Richard S. Dunn and Laetitia Yeandle, The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630-1649 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1996), an unabridged, old-spelling edition. An abridged, modern-spelling edition in paperback containing 40% of the text of the unabridged edition is also available: Richard S. Dunn and Laetitia Yeandle, The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630-1649, abr. ed. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1996).

Edward Ketcham was a Puritan. Among the many excellent resources available on the Puritans, one work will put you in touch with how Edward Ketcham lived, David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1989), pp. 13-205. An excellent web-site on a well-known group of Puritans, the Pilgrims: Mayflower Web Pages.

For a fascinating history of the ships on which Edward may have travelled, the Winthrop fleet, see Charles Edward Banks, The Winthrop Fleet of 1630, An Account of the Vessels, the Voyage, the Passengers and their English Homes from the Original Authorities (Boston: The Riverside Press, 1930).

For an example of a 17th century Ipswich colonial architecture, visit the Ipswich Historical Society's page on the John Whipple House.

The following resources are primarily about individual Ketchams, or are by Ketchams containing autobiographical or family information, arranged alphabetically by first name.

Pope, Charles Henry. The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches, and Other Contemporaneous Documents. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965 [1900].

Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register, vol. 3 Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1990, p. 14.

1. Edward1 Ketcham; reportedly born at County Kent, England;1 married Mary Hall 22 Aug 1619 at Church of St Andrew the Great, Cambridge, England;2,3 married Sarah Salmon at Southold, Suffolk Co, New York;4 died before 9 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut);5 died 19 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut).6

There is an unsubstantiated story that he resided before 1619 at Ipswich, County Suffolk, England.7 He resided between 1619 and 1628 at Cambridge, England.8 Edward Ketcham has not been found on any ship's manifest, and the date of his arrival is variously reported. He immigrated in 1629 to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts); on the ship "Hopewell."9 He immigrated on 3 Jul 1630 to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts); on board the ship "Hopewell."10,11 He immigrated in 1631/32 to Massachusetts Bay Colony; on ship "Lyon."12 He immigrated in 1635 to Massachusetts Bay Colony; on board ship "Nector," Captain William Moore.13 He resided between 1635 and 1640 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). He was according to some, present when a group from Antiqua, West Indies, made an agreement to establish a settlement on Hashamomuck Neck on the eastern tip of Long Island in the south hold of the New Haven Colony (now Southold, Suffolk Co, New York) in 1636 at Long Island, New York.14 He took the oath to become a Freeman on 9 Mar 1636/37 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). The Oath of a Freemen agreed upon att the Genall Court, May 14th, 1634. "I, A B, etc., being by Gods pvidence an inhabitant & ffreeman within the jurisdiccon of this comon weale, doe ffreely acknowledge my selfe to be subiect to the goument thereof, & therefore doe here sweare by the greate and dreadfull name of the euer lyveing God that I wilbe true & faithful to the same, & will accordinly yeild assitance & support therevnto, with my pson & estate, as in equitie I am bound, & will also truely indeavr to mayntaine & preserue all the liberties & previlidges thereof, submitting my selfe to the wholesom lawes made & established by the same ; and further, that I will not plott or practise any euill against it, nor consent to any that shall soe doe, but will tymely discouer & reveale the same to lawfull aucthority nowe here established for the speedy preventing thereof. Moreouer, I doe solemnly bind my selfe in the sight of God, that when I shalbe called to giue my voyce touching any such matter of this state, wherein ffreemen are to deale, I will giue my vote & suffrage as I shall in my owne conscience iudge best to conduce & tend to the publique weale of the body, without respect of psons or favr of any man. Soe helpe me God in the Lord Jesus Christ."15,16 He and 56 other men of Ipswich signed a remonstrance against the departure of John Winthrop Jr on 21 Jun 1637 from Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).17 He was shown as a landowner and cattleowner on 20 Dec 1638 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).18,19 He was shown as a cattle owner on 30 Jun 1639 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). He was listed as cattle owner on 13 Jan 1640 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).20,21,22 He was a witness when John Woolridge and Hester Ketcham were "Hester Ketcham is freed from her service wth her mr, John Woolrige, & the said mr enjoyned to give ^ Ketcham 20shs charges, & the said mr, John Woolrige, is bound to his good behavior, & enjoyned to appear at the Court the 7th m next, & to put in sufficient caution for the good behavior & appearance./" on 3 Mar 1639/40 at Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony.23,24 He resided before 1650 at Hashamomuck Neck, the southold (Southold), (Suffolk Co), New Haven Colony (New York), when he was listed as land owner.25 He left a will on 9 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut); inventory taken, amounted to 90/11/6.26

Children of Edward1 Ketcham and Mary Hall were as follows:

2 i. Mary2 Ketcham; baptized 7 May 1620 at Church of St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge, England.27,28,29

4 iii. Hester Ketcham; baptized 10 Apr 1626 at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, England.30,31,32 He was present on 3 Mar 1639/40 at Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for the hearing when his daughter Hester was freed from service to John Woolrige. "Hester Ketcham is freed from her service wth her mr, John Woolrige, & the said mr enjoyned to give ^ Ketcham 20shs charges, & the said mr, John Woolrige, is bound to his good behavior, & enjoyned to appear at the Court the 7th m next, & to put in sufficient caution for the good behavior & appearance./."33,34 She was living in 1655.35

5 iv. Hannah Ketcham; baptized 19 Oct 1628 at St. Michael's Church, Cambridge, England.36,37,38 She also went by the name of Ann.

Children of Edward1 Ketcham and Sarah Salmon were as follows:

+ 6 i. Sarah2 Ketcham, born between 1640 and 1650 at Huntington, Suffolk Co, New York; married Joseph Whitman.

1. Edward1 Ketcham; reportedly born at County Kent, England;1 married Mary Hall 22 Aug 1619 at Church of St Andrew the Great, Cambridge, England;2,3 married Sarah Salmon at Southold, Suffolk Co, New York;4 died before 9 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut);5 died 19 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut).6

There is an unsubstantiated story that he resided before 1619 at Ipswich, County Suffolk, England.7 He resided between 1619 and 1628 at Cambridge, England.8 Edward Ketcham has not been found on any ship's manifest, and the date of his arrival is variously reported. He immigrated in 1629 to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts); on the ship "Hopewell."9 He immigrated on 3 Jul 1630 to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts); on board the ship "Hopewell."10,11 He immigrated in 1631/32 to Massachusetts Bay Colony; on ship "Lyon."12 He immigrated in 1635 to Massachusetts Bay Colony; on board ship "Nector," Captain William Moore.13 He resided between 1635 and 1640 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). He was according to some, present when a group from Antiqua, West Indies, made an agreement to establish a settlement on Hashamomuck Neck on the eastern tip of Long Island in the south hold of the New Haven Colony (now Southold, Suffolk Co, New York) in 1636 at Long Island, New York.14 He took the oath to become a Freeman on 9 Mar 1636/37 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). The Oath of a Freemen agreed upon att the Genall Court, May 14th, 1634. "I, A B, etc., being by Gods pvidence an inhabitant ffreeman within the jurisdiccon of this comon weale, doe ffreely acknowledge my selfe to be subiect to the goument thereof, therefore doe here sweare by the greate and dreadfull name of the euer lyveing God that I wilbe true faithful to the same, will accordinly yeild assitance support therevnto, with my pson estate, as in equitie I am bound, will also truely indeavr to mayntaine preserue all the liberties previlidges thereof, submitting my selfe to the wholesom lawes made established by the same ; and further, that I will not plott or practise any euill against it, nor consent to any that shall soe doe, but will tymely discouer reveale the same to lawfull aucthority nowe here established for the speedy preventing thereof. Moreouer, I doe solemnly bind my selfe in the sight of God, that when I shalbe called to giue my voyce touching any such matter of this state, wherein ffreemen are to deale, I will giue my vote suffrage as I shall in my owne conscience iudge best to conduce tend to the publique weale of the body, without respect of psons or favr of any man. Soe helpe me God in the Lord Jesus Christ."15,16 He and 56 other men of Ipswich signed a remonstrance against the departure of John Winthrop Jr on 21 Jun 1637 from Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).17 He was shown as a landowner and cattleowner on 20 Dec 1638 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).18,19 He was shown as a cattle owner on 30 Jun 1639 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts). He was listed as cattle owner on 13 Jan 1640 at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Massachusetts).20,21,22 He was a witness when John Woolridge and Hester Ketcham were "Hester Ketcham is freed from her service wth her mr, John Woolrige, the said mr enjoyned to give ^ Ketcham 20shs charges, the said mr, John Woolrige, is bound to his good behavior, enjoyned to appear at the Court the 7th m next, to put in sufficient caution for the good behavior appearance./" on 3 Mar 1639/40 at Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony.23,24 He resided before 1650 at Hashamomuck Neck, the southold (Southold), (Suffolk Co), New Haven Colony (New York), when he was listed as land owner.25 He left a will on 9 Jun 1655 at Stratford, (Fairfield Co), Colony of Connecticut (Connecticut); inventory taken, amounted to 90/11/6.26

Children of Edward1 Ketcham and Mary Hall were as follows:

2 i. Mary2 Ketcham; baptized 7 May 1620 at Church of St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge, England.27,28,29

4 iii. Hester Ketcham; baptized 10 Apr 1626 at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, England.30,31,32 He was present on 3 Mar 1639/40 at Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for the hearing when his daughter Hester was freed from service to John Woolrige. "Hester Ketcham is freed from her service wth her mr, John Woolrige, the said mr enjoyned to give ^ Ketcham 20shs charges, the said mr, John Woolrige, is bound to his good behavior, enjoyned to appear at the Court the 7th m next, to put in sufficient caution for the good behavior appearance./."33,34 She was living in 1655.35

5 iv. Hannah Ketcham; baptized 19 Oct 1628 at St. Michael's Church, Cambridge, England.36,37,38 She also went by the name of Ann.

Children of Edward1 Ketcham and Sarah Salmon were as follows:

+ 6 i. Sarah2 Ketcham, born between 1640 and 1650 at Huntington, Suffolk Co, New York; married Joseph Whitman.